St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-30
The Jury in the Jacob Sharp Case Take
Thirteen Minutes to Find the
Defendant Guilty.
The Aged Prisoner Recommended to the
Mercy Of the Judge Who Must
Pass Sentence.
He Tiers Back to Jail a Physical
Wreck, and Protests His Innocence
Of Amy Crime.
The Fidelity Bank Wreckers to be Dealt
With to the Utmost Extent of
the Law.

UdWlleu DTlSuG anu clear. Lie dScu ue-
fendant shuffied into court at one door
as Judge Barrett came in at another.
He appeared much more feeble than
usual, walking with much difficulty to
his place. A delay of ten minutes was
OccaSioned at the request of Mr.. Stick
ney before he commenced to sum up.
After thanking the judge for his in
diligence of yesterday in allowing him
until to-day to prepare his address, he
stated that hitherto his practice had
been with cases involving property, and
that this is his first criminal case. He
would not attempt to deliver an elo-
Quent address, but to make clear,
sensible argument that will appeal
TO REASONING MEN.
The charge, said he, is one of bribery, not
of conspiracy. Mr.. Sharp is charged with
corrupting Fullgraff with protfer of money
for his vote in the board of aldermen. What
evidence has been brought forward to prove
this charge: None. Now, gentlemen, every
act of Mr.. Sharp, as has been shown. is de-
void of all guilt. There is not a scintilla of
evidence to convict him with the bribery of
Fullgratf. 9ou have no right to consider the
question of conspiracy at all, as the word
does not occur in the Indictment and if such
q thing should happen as to find Sharp
guilty OF such thing, it would simply be
JUDICIAL MURDER.
There was no conspiracy. These gentle
men were engaged in a railroad enterprise
and, If this was conspiracy, there was a
conspiracy and MeSsrs. Scribner and Bright
We're parties to it. The aldermen of 1884
struck for money right and left. They had
$1,000 bills and no one knows where they
came from. Fullgraff says he got money
from De Lacey, but there is no proof of any
connection between De Lacey and the Sew
enth avenue railway, much less Mr.. Sharp
Would you find a verdict in case for $50
ION the evidence of such man as Fullgraff,
who has not only perjured himself, but who
goes ON the stand and admits that he violated
every oath that he ever took. Yet his evil
dence is the backbone of this case, and the
judge will tell you that you have the right to
reject 1t altogether. Every man in this room
has had to submit to exactions. If you go to
the custom house you will have to pay bribes
70 the officials to get what you are entitled to.
Ii you go to the registers office you must pay
brlbes to clerks and officials, and every law
office in this city has had to do it and is COM
PEELED to pay bribes. and it will be so until
honest public officials are elected. Now,
Fullgraff the district attorney says, has tes-
tified in this case and will then take up his
residence
IN A DISTANT STATE
This means that this is TO be the last of the
bribery tEials, for no one can be convicted
without him. 1t means that this old man of
seventy years is to be sent to prison, and the
aldermen, about whose guilt there is no
question, are to be allowed to go free, and
now, / say to the great state of New York,
clean your own house, put only honest men men
in office, and you VIII have no more of
bribery. Mr.. Stickney then read Canvasser
Powell evidence to the jury, and continuing
said: We might have resorted to the com
mon artifee of having Mr.. Sharp's wife and
daughter beside him at the end. We have
avoided trick and device to influence your
judgment, for we believe in the Justice of
our cause. Does Mr.. Sharp fear the result?
He has been bounded by the whole press
without as much as one single sheet suggest
ing that he was entitled to Il fair trial / am
confident he had time to flee. l demand of
you that you protect him and see that he re-
ceiyes at your hands the verdict of acquittal
to which he is entitled.
This ended Mr.. Stickney's address,
and on motion of Col. Fellows an ad-
10urnment until 2 O'Clock was had.
Col. Fellows made his address after
recess. After an intermiSSion of five
minutes at the close of Col. Fellows adj
dress, Judge Barrett proceeded to de-
liver his
CHARGE TO THE JURY.
He began by saying that this was the
first time in the history of our iuris-
prudence when a man had been made to
face the charge of giving bribe. Both
to give and receive bribes were crimes,
said his honor. The bribe-giver has an
unnatural advantage, a monopoly, over
the party who honestly applies for leg
iSlative action. The result is that pure
and honest men can obtain no relief
The court read the code on bribery and
went on to say that the only direct evil
illoG IIOiiCAS1lldtl Dttll given WAS
that one DeLacy had given money. 1t
is not necessary that the person charged
gave the money with his own hand or
made the corrupt agreement in person,
or, in other words, made the agreement
in accordance with the laws of con-
tract, but if there was an understand
ing that one was to give and the other
was to receive the bribe, then the
crime was in commission, whether
6Irp0tlU N inHirnat1u H.
agents aided, assisted, OF abetted how
ever remotely in the commission of the
crime. OF this crime De Lacy is the
fountain head, and all who are proven
to be connected near or far away from
the fountain head, are guilty. If De
Lacy received the money from Rich
mondsand Richmond again from Sharp.
then Sharp is guilty. If Sharp had
A GTILTY KNOWLEDGE
of the scheme and assisted OF abetted in
any way, he is guilty of the crime
charged. The defendant asked for
trial separately and the jury finds that
he is connected with the bribery by the
ways specified, they must find him
guilty of the crime charged. Was Full
graft bribed? Upon that it may be said
that this is not an Indictment against
the associates of Fulgraff in the board
of aldermen. 1t is not a question of
WhCOIC1 tllCJ hC1C tllGU lie is
brought 20 prove. Was he corrupt him
self? He says he Is. He did not make
the corrupt agreement for his own brib-
cry, he says. 1t may seem anomalous
that we find him innocent though he
protests his own guilt, yet the law makes
it necessary that his testimony should be
cOrroborated ere we can convict him.
The testimony cOrroborative of Full
graft was then digested. In a conspir-
acy each one is an agent, and each a
principal. Judge Barrett reviewed the
Contrlbutory evidence of Sharp's lobby
work at Albany to get the railroad bill
passed, and having succeeded he at
once set about getting his Broadway
franchise. The court adds: 'sHis
anxiety caused him to do anything to
frnstrate his opponents in obtaining the
benefits of his efforts. Thiss was
Sharp's motive. He had spent a life
time in the hope of material reward.
He was ready to do anything to obtain
that reward. This was matter of life
and death to the Seventh avenue road,
and as director he had motive,
while he was to obtain a personal re-
ward in the bonds which were to be
guaranteed. He was the contractor for
that road" The story of the issuance
of S50C,000 worth of bonds was recalled
by the court. The last of the money
was raised the day before the meeting
OF the commissioners. The money was